School of Ecology and Environment Studies, Nalanda University, Rajgir, Nalanda, 803116, Bihar, India.
Department of Life Sciences, Presidency University, 86/1 College Street, Kolkata, India.
Sci Total Environ. 2022 Aug 25;836:155619. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.155619. Epub 2022 May 1.
Microplastic pollution has severe ecological and environmental concerns because of its enormous production and discharge in natural ecosystems worldwide. Microplastics interact with heavy metals and metalloids like arsenic, chromium, copper, cadmium, and lead in soil and can cause detrimental effects on soil structure and microbial activities and subsequently impact the plants and human health. This article focuses on microplastic translocation from soil to plants together with heavy metals. Microplastic exposure impacts biomass, photosynthetic activity, chlorophyll content, root and shoot length in the plants through apoplastic and symplastic pathways. Microplastics can also indirectly affect the plant growth by changing soil nutrient content and microbial community structure. At the same time, microplastics can absorb heavy metals and increase phytotoxicity in plants. However, the current knowledge about the coupled effect of heavy metals and microplastics bioaccumulation in plants is limited. It is postulated that heavy metals and microplastics collectively impact the chlorophyll content, photosynthetic activity, and induction of reactive oxygen species in plants. This work also outlines the environmental health perspectives based on microplastic and heavy metals toxicity and provides a guideline for future research on the coupled effects of heavy metals and microplastics on plants and humans.
微塑料污染因其在全球自然生态系统中大量产生和排放而引起严重的生态和环境问题。微塑料与土壤中的砷、铬、铜、镉和铅等重金属和类金属相互作用，会对土壤结构和微生物活动产生有害影响，进而影响植物和人类健康。本文重点关注微塑料从土壤向植物的迁移及其与重金属的关系。微塑料通过质外体和共质体途径暴露会影响植物的生物量、光合作用活性、叶绿素含量、根和茎的长度。微塑料还可以通过改变土壤养分含量和微生物群落结构间接影响植物生长。同时，微塑料可以吸附重金属并增加植物的毒性。然而，目前关于重金属和微塑料在植物中累积的耦合效应的知识有限。据推测，重金属和微塑料共同影响植物的叶绿素含量、光合作用活性和活性氧的诱导。本工作还根据微塑料和重金属的毒性概述了环境健康观点，并为未来研究重金属和微塑料对植物和人类的耦合效应提供了指导。
